Chris Nguyen
Hallway - modern hallway idea in Houston

Saturday June 20, 1:30 to 3:00pm | Greenwich Village Urban Aerie by David Kamp, FASLA, of Dirtworks Landscape Architecture, PC For their award-winning terrace design, the landscape architects created a relaxing setting using the same materials they employed on their client’s beachfront hideaway (as part of this Dialogue, attendees visit the terrace where they’ll also get a presentation about the beach property). Contrasts in texture and color are carefully arranged. Cedar, weathered to a buff grey, is used throughout for decking and set off in places with borders of dark round stones. The wood is carefully treated so it’s smooth underfoot. Two bow front metal perimeter planters overflow with grasses, which soften the edges. Strategically placed cedar planters with amelanchier, also known as juneberry, are used as a screening device, to frame dramatic views from the apartment and provide some canopy. A single pine, together with the juneberry, provides sculptural interest. All the plants, which are either native or naturalized, weather the harsh winter winds and temperatures. Photo copyright Andrew Bordwin Studio Inc.

Chris Nguyen
Inspiration for a modern home office remodel in Houston

Saturday, August 22, 9:30am to 5:30pm | Vancouver, Canada | Villa Maris by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, with Eva Matsuzaki and Bryce Gauthier of Enns Gauthier Landscape Architects, Inc. A collaboration with emerging firm Enns Gauthier Landscape Architects Inc., this project features a newly completed green roof at the iconic Villa Maris -- a 15-story, 101 unit, seaside resort-style, 1960s apartment building known locally as the Pink Palace, a nod to the vibrant color of its exterior. Here undulating mounds mimic the waves of the seaside visible in the distance. Photo courtesy Enns Gauthier Landscape Architects, Inc.

Saturday, May 30, 10:30am to 12:00pm | Pacific Palisades Pacific Palisades Residence Isabelle C. Greene of Isabelle Greene and Associates, Inc. A paradisiacal cornucopia of fruit trees - apples, apricots, almonds, pears, and plums – is the first inkling this is more than just an older property remodeled for a family with four growing children. There are also pomegranates, limes, oranges, tangerines, lemons, persimmons, and berries; and the brilliant trunk of a specimen Mexican Fig Tree guides the color scheme for the entire project, and its structure provides a major focal point in the garden. In the entrance, the artfully feral use of California natives – drought tolerant radiant greens and subtle flowering accents – augments the stead of majestic Oaks that also provide a barrier from the street, creating a border between public and private. The driveway, lined with carefully sculpted boxwood hedges, leads to a gravel path that wends through woodland ferns, flowering Magnolias and an allée of Crape Myrtles. The theme of formality meets rusticity plays out in numerous features including a raised bed kitchen garden, a glass-tiled sandstone fountain, broken concrete terracing, an outdoor fireplace and a pool/spa. One lucky visitor will be able to enjoy all of this from the hammock. Photos by Matt Dayka

Saturday May 16, 10:30am to 12:00pm | Saratoga Blackwell Hillside Garden by Rebecca Dye and Hank Helbush of Design Focus International Register: https://tclf.org/event/garden-dialogues-northern-california-2015 Each detail of this spectacular Saratoga landscape was considered with its hillside site in mind, from the size of the pool to the choice of antique stone masonry. Working closely with the owner, the landscape architects created a series of intimate garden spaces on three terraces. At the top of the site, entertainment is the name of the game where a bocce ball court and a fire pit take advantage of the site’s commanding views of the Santa Clara Valley. Below the house, a jewel-like pool captures the eye, with its intricate glass-tile and bronze water jets. At its end, a seating area and fireplace are shaded by an arbor covered with climbing roses, adding both fragrance and hue. Visitors descend a series of terraced stone stairs set into the hillside, punctuated by raised beds of strawberries, lavender, artichokes, and citrus. A formal parterre flower garden on the terrace is replanted periodically with colorful blooms in acknowledgment of the changing seasons. Photos by Lauren Devon

Living room - living room idea in Yekaterinburg

Home design - contemporary home design idea in Other

Example of a 1950s dining room design in Houston

Trendy bathroom photo in Other

Chris Nguyen
Minimalist home office photo in Houston

Sunday, April 12, 3:00-5:00pm Register Online: https://tclf.org/event/garden-dialogues-dallas-fort-worth-2015 The Dallas Urban Reserve by Kevin Sloan, ASLA, M.Arch of Kevin Sloan Studio, with Robert Meckfessel, FAIA, DSGN Associates Photos courtesy of Kevin Sloan Studio Internationally recognized as an “innovative green project,” the award-winning Urban Reserve transformed a 10-acre site that had been an illegal landfill for more than 50 years into an exquisite Modernist community. In 2004, Urban Edge Developers in Dallas purchased the tract to construct a sustainable community, engaging landscape architect Kevin Sloan Studio and architects including Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. The refined aesthetics and careful grooming are equaled by environmentally sensitive details: the main street is a continuous biofilter; storm water is conveyed into rain gardens, separated by parking; cypress and reed plants filter water to sedimentation ponds for low-velocity drip irrigation. Concrete fragments and steel beams left over from its previous use as a landfill have been repurposed as “bricolage” for pavements and terraces. As part of the Dialogue, attendees will visit the landscapes of several private residences.

Trendy home design photo in Other

Saturday, April 11, 2:00-3:30pm Register Online: https://tclf.org/event/garden-dialogues-dallas-fort-worth-2015 One Westover by William Bibb and Brian McDonald of Archiverde, LLC, with Weldon Turner, Turner | Boaz Architecture This stately private property, originally owned by the philanthropic Rhodes family for more than 100 years, was completely renovated by the current owner from 2010-2013. The project is a major collaboration between the landscape architect and architect, both of whom will participate in the Dialogue. The landscape is just over an acre, and its design is based on centerlines and relationships of the architecture. The arrival is marked by a sweeping walkway that runs along the edge of a grand central lawn and stately groves of pond cypress trees frame the house on both sides. At the rear of the home an open courtyard holds an elaborate swimming pool complete with fountain, infinity weir and shallow water ledge. An adjacent fire pit is surrounded by four live oak trees. The pool and fire pit area were designed based upon the centerline of the master bedroom. At the basement area the lower courtyard centers on the large library windows. Here lacey Japanese maple trees set in large pots provide a delicate canopy. To the east a veranda overlooks a small lawn area backed by pre-existing woodland and a creek bed enhanced by new native plantings. Photos by One Westover::William Bibb and Brian McDonald, Archiverde LLC::Copyright Ryan Bibb Photography

Saturday, August 22, 9:30am to 5:30pm | Vancouver, Canada | Metamorphous by Vikas Tanwar of Paul Sangha Landscape Architecture Paul Sangha Landscape Architecture’s Metamorphous, a 200-foot-long Corten steel seawall sculpture along Kitsilano’s public waterfront provides a unique solution to erosion problems. Photo by Tim Swanky, courtesy of Paul Sangha Landscape Architecture

Saturday, May 30, 3:30 to 5:00pm | Pacific Palisades Amalfi Jay Griffith of Jay Griffith This one-acre site at a 120-foot elevation overlooking Rustic Canyon has breathtaking, panoramic views. Though the California Monterrey colonial style house was built in 1933 for the silent film star Billie Dove, every aspect of the garden is new except for the Eucalyptus. A long interwoven hedge acts as a green plinth transforming the 150-wide house into a giant sculptural element. Giant raw steel planters created in homage to sculptor Richard Serra repeat this theme. The front garden is patterned after the Court of the Myrtles at the Alhambra in Seville, Spain, while the rear garden embraces the expansive view and is toned in aqueous colored succulent plantings that tie into the rectangular swimming pool. The muted color palette focuses attention on the contrasting plant textures and sculptural qualities, from arcing white Agaves, giant blue Fan Palms, and sinuous Eucalyptus. The south facing kitchen courtyard showcases indigenous California pottery materials and an extensive collection of Hollywood movie garden furniture memorabilia. Photos by Jorge Rafael

Bedroom - 1950s bedroom idea in Houston

Bathroom photo in Yekaterinburg

Sunday, June 28, 1:00 to 2:30pm | Washington, DC Forest Hills Residence by Jay Graham, FASLA of Graham Landscape Architecture with architect Christopher Morrison, FAIA, LEED-AP This recently renovated urban landscape and garden located in the Northwest quarter of Washington, DC, sprang from a near-complete reconstruction of the property’s main house. Adjacent to Rock Creek Park, a large urban park and natural area, the landscape and gardens reflect both the woodland character of the nearby park and the modern architectural design of the home. Mirroring a distinct, internal angular wall separating the public and private spaces of the residence, a complimentary wall in the outdoor garden creates a dialogue between the interior of the home and the outdoor living space. Throughout the renovation process, the architect and landscape architect worked cooperatively to create a memorable outdoor space. Moving the original garage entrance allowed for an extension of the entry garden, where an extended walkway and ornamental screen along the street front provide enhanced privacy for the residence and create a garden backdrop visible from inside the home. Plantings in the rear of the home occupy the site’s natural slope as the property descends steeply into Creek Valley, a spur of Rock Creek Park, and provide residents with a rare scenic view of dense woodlands and a space for quiet contemplation in the midst of the bustling metro region. Photo courtesy Graham Landscape Architecture